


Special Delivery

by solarwitchwrites



Series: Keeping Score [17]
Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Attraction, Implied/Referenced Racism, M/M, Oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarwitchwrites/pseuds/solarwitchwrites
Summary: The Bulls are all set to enjoy a beach vacation at Raque, but Yami seems distracted. Finral's not sure why, but that doesn't mean he can't try to get Yami in a better mood.It's not Finral's fault that the easiest way to do that is getting a little creative revenge. It's their game, after all.(Set during the beach episode.)
Relationships: Finral Roulacase/Yami Sukehiro
Series: Keeping Score [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1426735
Comments: 73
Kudos: 259





	1. Idea

**Author's Note:**

> In which there is a Naruto reference, because you can never escape your first fandom.

Finral was minding his own business, deciding which beach-going cutie to chat up next, when he felt the spell. He tensed, eyes going wide. _You're kidding me, he isn't going to-_ But before Finral could finish the thought, he was grabbed by a tendril of darkness and yanked along the beach. The magic shoved him into the ground- mostly harmlessly- but left him buried up to his neck in sand. The other Bulls were lined up beside him, having met the same fate.

Finral glared up at Yami, who was standing over the row of heads with amusement. _Headhunter Technique? Really Yami? In the middle of a public beach?_

Yami swore up and down that he hadn't come up with it himself. Said he'd copied the spell from the assassins and spies of his homeland. 'Ninja.' Because that didn't sound made up _at all._

Most of Yami's mission briefing was probably for Asta's benefit, but Finral listened. It was a little shocking that Yami had actually done his own research for once. Completely unsurprising when Asta got a boot to the face for pointing it out, though.

After Yami was done, he released the spell. Finral yelped as he shot back out of the ground like a cork. Despite the layer of magic keeping them from being crushed or suffocated- the spell was for capture and interrogation rather than damage- Finral was covered in sand. Brushing it off with annoyance, Finral grumbled, “Did you really have to? There are a lot of other ways to get someone's attention, Yami.”

There was a long pause before Yami said, “Yeah, sure are.” 

Finral blinked, surprised by both the easy agreement and the unfocused tone. He looked up at Yami. Yami was looking back, face impassive as ever, but there was something in the stillness that Finral couldn't read. Yami didn't speak, and the silence dragged between them. A little concerned, Finral waved at him.

“Yami? Clover to Yami?”

Yami blinked, then scowled. “I'm right here, aren't I? Don't have to get my attention when I'm looking right at you.”

“Got it, got it...” Wondering what had gotten into Yami, Finral glanced after the others. The Bulls had scattered across the beach again. Finral's eyes were drawn to Noelle, walking slowly along the surf, arms crossed like she was hugging herself. Finral watched her with sympathy. It wasn't easy to suddenly bear the weight of expectations when you'd gotten used to disappointing people.

Deciding he didn't want to pursue that depressing thought, Finral turned back to Yami. About to speak, he hesitated when he saw that Yami was still looking at him with that same, weirdly-intense-but-unreadable expression. Rather than get barked at again, however, Finral asked, “So, do the rest of us really have the week off then?”

“What?”

Finral was about to repeat himself when Yami shook his head, expression irritated, and said, “Yeah. Knock yourself out. Just keep handy in case we get really fucking unlucky and those bastards pull something elsewhere while we're here.”

Finral nodded. “Sure thing, Yami.” 

There was a whole beach of lovely ladies and Finral was officially off duty. He couldn't quite stop himself from keeping half an eye on Yami anyway. Even when Finral reminded himself that, as a captain, even Yami was probably feeling the stress of the current situation. A little off behavior would be expected. It wouldn't last, Yami didn't let anything get him down.

So with resignation- and nothing else, Finral told himself- he waited for Yami to strip down to a loincloth, same as Magna, and enjoy the beach. Instead, Yami stayed both dressed and on his feet, leaning against a palm tree in the shade by Vanessa. He lit up another cigarette, looking out over the water. Finral couldn't shake the feeling that he was brooding.

 _Maybe something else is wrong._ Frowning slightly, Finral went over to Asta. “That meeting you and Yami went to... Did something happen?”

Asta paused, then looked down. His voice was serious and uncharacteristically upset as he said, “Yeah. But the Wizard King said not to talk about it.”

Frown deepening, Finral looked over at Yami. Yami'd been a magic knight too long to get worked up as easily as Asta. Then again, something important had been discussed or decided if Julius had sworn everyone to secrecy. 

Whether it was the meeting or something else, though, Yami was definitely off.

Unable to focus on more flirtatious pursuits, Finral took to the water instead. Tota had been landlocked, but there was a lake, and nobles' kids- those whose parents wanted them to be knights, anyway- had to know how to swim. You never knew when you were going to face a water mage powerful enough to drown the battlefield. Like everything else, Langris had been the stronger swimmer. But like the dancing, Finral hadn't minded the lessons themselves.

The coolness was refreshing in Raque's heat and the easy motions cleared his head. Finral got a little ways from shore, away from the crowds. He wasn't worried about drifting out too far when he could just portal back. Flipping onto his back, he floated for a bit.

Without knowing what was going on, Finral didn't have a solution to the actual problem. But he did know what had helped in the past: distraction. And as a bonus, Finral did have a score to settle. Headhunter's Technique aside, he still hadn't gotten Yami back for the cracks he'd made at Finral's expense in Nean. Asking him to port in take-out, honestly.

They had a week off, but Finral didn't want Yami to spend it brooding. So he ditched any ideas that would take too long to set up. Or anything that would require assistance from Henry, since they weren't staying at base.

But it wasn't until Charmy called everyone back to the beach house for lunch that Finral had the perfect idea. After all, making Yami eat his words was always the best revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not supposed to be two chapters.
> 
> EDIT: This was *really* not supposed to be three chapters.
> 
> Feedback encouraged!


	2. Errand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which a couple familiar faces return (and actually get names this time).

By the time he'd eaten lunch, Finral was dry enough to change back into his usual clothes. He grabbed a communicator- Yami was right about being handy if Midnight Sun decided to pull something again- and then ported away from Raque.

When Finral stepped out of the portal, he took a moment to get his bearings. It'd been a while since he'd been to Suntown. Located on the southern peninsula of the common realm, a couple hundred years ago it had been the site of the Sunlander trading port. When the Land of the Sun had abruptly closed themselves off, stranding diplomats, merchants, and sailors alike, they'd had no choice but to settle there. On the rare occasions a Sunlander washed ashore in Clover Kingdom, Suntown was usually where they ended up.

Yami hadn't been so lucky. But thinking about Yami's childhood would just make Finral's chest ache, so he pushed it aside. Instead, he looked over the buildings- a blend of local and foreign architecture- and hoped it'd be easy to find what he was looking for.

Heads turned and he heard whispering as he walked into town. It made him uncomfortable to be the object of so much wary attention. But most carried on their business when they noticed the Bulls' robe. Yami had never lived in Suntown, but he was definitely known.

Of course, the various signs were mostly in Sunlander. Which Finral couldn't read. _Darn it, I'm going to have to ask someone._ He started looking around to see who looked the least bothered by the Cloverite in their midst, Black Bull or not, when he heard someone call his name.

“Sir Finral?” Finral turned, surprised, and blinked at a familiar face. He was glad she looked less tired than when he'd seen her last. She held her daughter firmly by the hand; the girl was excitedly pointing at the robe again.

“Ah, Miss Airi, right? And Mei.” The girl grinned, pleased he'd remembered her name. Her mother smiled softly.

“What brings you to Suntown, Sir Finral?”

“Ah, errand for Yami.” It wasn't a lie, not really. “He's getting up early tomorrow,” _not that he knows it yet,_ “and I'm hoping it'll go over better with a good breakfast. Any place that can have something ready for pick up before dawn? I can pay double, I know that'll be a pain.”

Airi looked thoughtful. “Tachibana might. Her breakfasts are very good.”

Sheepish, Finral gestured to the foreign signs. “Could you give me directions?” Airi blinked, then looked embarrassed herself that she hadn't thought about it. Mei giggled.

With an angelic smile, the little girl piped up, “But Sir Finral knows Sunlander!” Airi looked down at her daughter in surprise. Finral choked. _Oh no. Please don't repeat anything I said. Damnit Yami, why do you curse so much?!_

Hurriedly, Finral said, “Only a few words, and I can't read anything.” He paused. “Except 'festival' and 'raging bull' but I don't think that's going to help me.” 

Airi blinked, then laughed. “Ah, the happi coat. I know the... tailor? The man Captain Yami bought it from. I can take you to Tachibana's. It's no trouble.” Finral thanked her profusely, and tried to ignore the way Mei was still grinning, entirely too pleased with herself. _I hope she's happy just making me squirm. If I wind up being blackmailed by a kid Yami'll never let me hear the end of it._

On the walk, Airi commented, “It's very kind of you, to do this. You must be good friends.”

Finral wondered if she'd still think that if she knew this was half a prank, but didn't elaborate. If Yami was really upset about something, Finral couldn't be too mean to him. On the other hand, too nice and Yami'd suspect he was being pitied. Then he'd pull the whole 'I'm captain, it's too early for you idiots to worry about me,' garbage like he had at the cave.

Best avoid the whole song and dance. Out loud, Finral joked, “Oh, you haven't seen him when he's just woken up. This is pure self defense.”

Airi looked like she didn't quite have a polite response for that. Mei laughed and said something in Sunlander that made Airi mutter something quick and scolding back. To Finral's eyes, Mei looked entirely unrepentant. He was wondering if there was any way to ask what she'd said without being rude when Airi stopped and gestured.

“Tachibana's.” She led Finral inside.

It was small, but the smells coming from the kitchen made Finral feel a little regret that he'd come here on a full stomach. In the lull after the lunch rush, there were only a few patrons lingering over their meals. They looked Finral over with the same wary curiosity as the others, but the robe- and Airi's presence, Finral suspected- smoothed things over.

Tachibana turned out to be a large woman with a long, thin grimoire that looked like a menu book peeking out of her apron pocket. She eyed Finral with suspicion, even after she saw the robe. But she brightened up considerably when Finral offered to pay extra for what he needed. Finral had the depressing suspicion that she'd expected him to try to get something without paying at all.

After that, it was a pretty quick negotiation; Finral already knew the kinds of things Yami liked. With one last farewell to Airi and Mei and a promise to see Tachibana early the next morning, Finral ported back to Raque. Not bad for less than an hour's effort. A slight hit to his pocketbook, but it wasn't like Finral didn't have the savings for it.

Now he could go try to get a date without getting distracted by thinking about Yami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up, I'm having some problems with CH3, so the next update might be delayed.
> 
> Feedback encouraged!


	3. Classic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, the best pranks are the classics.

Of course, to pull something on Yami before he got up meant that Finral had to be up. Which was honestly a higher cost than the money he'd spent. The things he did for this guy. There certainly wasn't anyone else Finral would get out of bed for at this ungodly hour.

It was still dark when the magic alarm he'd set went off. Fumbling to turn it off, Finral was tempted to roll over and forget the whole thing. But he'd already paid Tachibana and she'd presumably already done the work, so there was nothing for it. Finral dragged himself out of bed and pulled on his clothes. Even before dawn, Raque was warm and muggy. With a mental promise that he could shed some layers once he was back at the beach house, Finral ported to Tachibana's.

She snickered when he muttered a groggy good morning, and handed him the box with more cheer than Finral considered legal. But at least it was done. And it smelled just as good as yesterday. Finral was smiling as he ported back. 

It was probably cheating to use the fact that Finral’s ki and mana didn’t register on Yami’s unconscious threat radar. Finral was going to do it anyway, but he figured he got points for acknowledging it. But in a battle of one-up-man-ship with his captain- and Yami sure wasn’t shy about pulling rank to mess with Finral- he had to take what advantages he could.

Like the fact that Finral didn't need to turn on a light or wait for his eyes to adjust to know where the table was in Yami's room. A brief survey with his magic, as if he was about to cast a portal, revealed the distinction between air and solid matter. Finral set the boxes down as quietly as he could. There was a slight stir from the bed, but Yami didn't wake.

Everything set, Finral opened a portal back to his own room, then stepped most of the way through before opening a smaller, horizontal one over Yami's bed. Given where the other end was connected, there was an immediate waterfall of cold, foamy seawater.

Yami jerked awake with a yelp and a flare of dark magic as Finral dismissed the portal, leaving Yami soaking and briny. Mission accomplished, Finral called cheerfully, “Special Delivery! Breakfast for Yami Sukehiro!” He ducked through the portal and closed it just as Yami growled, “You little shit-”

Safe in his own room, Finral clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. Yami'd probably be in a slightly more forgiving mood once he found the food, but either way he'd definitely be too busy being annoyed at Finral to be distant and broody. Feeling more awake from the adrenaline, Finral stretched. Then, too warm now that he was back in Raque, he kept his promise to himself and ditched some of the layers. The Bulls' robe he hung up on a convenient peg; the tunic he let fall, he'd pick it up later. Barefoot, he walked out to the beach house's common room.

Light had just started to spill over the horizon. Not quite enough to read by for someone who didn't have Yami's night vision. Opening a couple portals back to base, Finral grabbed a lighter and candle. Then he grabbed one of the tourist pamphlets on the table and settled on the couch to wait for Yami to come out. He'd use the time to figure out places to suggest for dates while they were here. Granted, he was making himself an easy target for whatever Yami came up with for payback, but that was kind of the point.

_The things I do for this guy... ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, obviously this chapter is incredibly short and late. Long story short, life got hectic for a while, but I'm finally starting to claw my way out of the chaos. I don't know if this is the beginning of steady updates again or not, but I'm happy I at least got this out.
> 
> However, one bit of bad news: a commenter informed me that someone posted a translated version of one of my fics on Wattpad without my permission. To be clear for any future reference, I only post my works on AO3, and I only allow translations of my works to be posted on AO3 with links back to the original. If you see my stuff anywhere else, it's stolen.


	4. Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better late than never, right?

The sun slowly rose. Asta passed through on his way to train out on the beach. With enough sunlight to read by, Finral snuffed out the candle before returning it to base with a quick portal. The Bulls didn't make enough mission bonuses to waste wax. It was close to an hour after Finral's special delivery that Yami emerged.

He'd dried off and dressed, but he still smelled like salt. Finral savored the victory for a second before asking cheerfully, “Have a good breakfast? Sorry it was late.”

Yami blinked like he was still waking up, then retorted, “Late? Call this late?” The tone was brusque. _Overcompensating for not coming up with anything clever_ , Finral thought gleefully. Feeling like the cat who got the cream, he took the opening.

Voice deliberately casual, Finral shrugged and said, “Hmm, no. But you ordered it back at Nean, so...”

Yami paused. The yul dropped. Finral grinned. _There we go_. Yami's eyes narrowed and he growled, “It's not attractive to hold grudges, you know.”

Smug, Finral asked sweetly, “Is that really what you're going to say to someone who brought you breakfast?” _I should have done this ages ago, I'm going to have to remember this the next time he makes a take-out joke._

“Yeah, breakfast and a dozen gallons of seawater,” Yami snapped back, crossing his arms. But Finral knew the difference between an angry captain and a blustering one. Yami liked the breakfast.

The success made Finral extra cheerful as he pointed out, “You didn't wake up when I ported in.” The knowledge that that wouldn't change sat warm and reassuring in Finral's chest. It softened his voice as he added, “I had to get you up somehow, the food would have gotten cold.”

Yami eyed him for a moment. Finral wondered if Yami actually considered a sea bath an acceptable price for hot food. Wouldn't surprise Finral. Yami finally grumbled, “Polite people just announce themselves, yanno.”

_What._ Finral's eyes widened, incredulity only partially exaggerated as he demanded, “Are _you_ lecturing _me_ on propriety?! Seriously?” If you looked up 'crude', 'crass', and 'mannerless' in a dictionary, you'd see three copies of Yami's face. Sometimes Finral felt like he'd spent half his career as a knight apologizing for something rude Yami had done.

But, as if what he said was totally reasonable, Yami replied matter-of-factly, “Yup.”

_How does he say that with a straight face?_ Finral fell back on the couch, an arm over his eyes, muttering, “You are the worst, Yami.” But there was thread of laughter in his voice that he couldn't suppress. This was definitely better than the brooding.

There was a moment of silence, long enough to make Finral wonder if his self-congratulation was premature.

But as he started to sit up, Yami barked, “Put on some goddamn clothes. I’m cold just looking at you.” Without waiting for a reply, Yami strode out the door and off toward the beach. Startled at the abrupt exit, for a moment Finral just stared after him.

Then he glanced at the thermostat. Early-morning Raque was a bit cooler than high-noon Raque, but not significantly. Finral looked down at himself. Leggings and undershirt. Certainly under-dressed by Finral's usual standards. But definitely way more than Magna had been running around in yesterday. Courtesy of shopping with Vanessa, more than _Finral_ had been wearing yesterday, and Yami hadn't said a thing then.

At a loss for Yami’s sudden commentary on his fashion choices, Finral lay back on the couch, pamphlet forgotten. Was it just Yami's attempt to scrounge some points back after Finral's prank? It didn't sit right, but nothing else came to mind. Finally giving it up as a bad job, Finral sighed and picked up the pamphlet again. He'd wait and see if the brooding cropped up again and go from there.

_Like I ever know what that guy is thinking..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully Yami's next installment won't give me this much trouble. Honestly, these two...
> 
> Also, does any one other than Finral really think Yami was cold? ^_^


End file.
